There's Something About the Rain
by Rookie21
Summary: Helga's family life has hit an all time low. As she walks in the rain, she realizes that even though she's having a horrible day, she can still help a certain football head.


**Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls, welcome to my very first submission. I've had the idea in my mind for a few weeks but I finally got around to posting it online. Please read and review. I'd love to hear the feedback. Happy reading.  
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><p><strong>There's Something About the Rain...<strong>

The rain fell. She didn't mind much. In fact she enjoyed the feeling. It was a washing away of sorts; almost as if all cares and worries were removed with each raindrop that hit. It helped her clear her mind. Allow her to focus on nothing at all and enjoy the moment. She never brought and umbrella. There was no need to; she was perfectly content in her jeans, hoodie and jacket (hood off of course.)

It was a Friday evening, about nine fifteen or so. She walked past Mr. Green's butcher shop, Mrs. Vitello's flower shop and her old elementary school. Everything looked different in the rain. The reflection of the lights off of the street and sidewalk gave the buildings a film noir setting that she very much enjoyed. She also enjoyed being alone. She needed to be alone now; her family life went beyond the normal chaos today. The fighting keeps escalating in that household.

"_One thing, Miriam, I asked you to do one thing and you can't even do that!"_

"_I'm sorry B, I don't know what happened."_

"_Is it really that hard to make the mortgage payment? For God's sake it's the one thing I ask you to do around here."_

"_I must have lost the check or something."_

"_Two months Miriam? You missed it for two months in a row? How the hell can I run a beeper empire when I can't even trust my own wife to do the simplest things?"_

"_Well that's not fair Bob! I may have made a mistake but are you really going to stand there and tell me that I don't do anything around here?"_

"_Maybe if put the bottle down for five minutes you might be able to do something right for once in your life!"_

_She scoffed in disbelief._

"_Oh please Miriam, don't sit there and think you're not a drunk. How many bottles of vodka are you going through a week making your damn smoothies?"_

"_What, do you think that everything I do is your business?" _

"_Your damn straight it is! You're worthless Miriam! Absolutely worthless! The only thing you ever did right in your life was having Olga!"_

_Little did they know that Helga was standing at the base if the stairs listening to the whole thing. All they heard was the front door slam. All they saw through the window was their daughter running down the street. _

Helga shook the memory out of her head and stared up at the cloud covered night sky.

"Thank God for the rain. My only solace on a day like this," she said to herself.

She approached the intersection of Vine from 4th when out of nowhere someone plowed into her knocking both of them to the ground.

"Figures it'd be raining," he said to himself.

It's not that he didn't like the rain occasionally; just not on this day. Murphy's Law reigned supreme today. It was the anniversary of his parent's disappearance, his grandmother was rushed to the hospital the day before due to a stroke and now his grandfather was waiting in the hospital, too distraught to speak. The stress overwhelmed him as he laid in bet trying to rest his mind. His world seemed to be caving in on him.

Gerald was no use. He was out of town with Phoebe and her family for the next two weeks. Going down to California for long overdue vacation. Unfortunately he was the only one Arnold could count on right now. The rain pounded on his glass roof. It was almost deafening; alas just not loud enough to stop the conversation he had with his grandmother's doctor yesterday from replaying in his head.

"_Arnold?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_Hello, I'm Doctor Holmgren. I'm the Vascular Neurologist that's working with your grandmother."_

"_Is she going to be okay?"_

"_The prognosis is not good, son. She's alive and stable but in critical condition. We just don't know how long she may last. We're doing our very best for her but it was very serious stroke."_

_Arnold couldn't say anything. He was in shock._

"_We're going to be transferring her to our stroke center for observation. She's in good hands. She's very lucky she arrived as quickly as she did."_

"_Can I see her?"_

"_Not yet I'm afraid. We are still running some tests."_

"_Please. Can I please see her just for a minute?"_

_Dr. Holmgren sighed as he looked at the grief-stricken young man._

"_Okay, listen. Here's what I can do. Follow me and I'll take you to her room. You can't be long though and you're not going to like what you see. She has quite a few machines hooked up to her to keep her alive so be prepared."_

"_Thank you."_

_Arnold followed the doctor through the labyrinth that was the hospital to his grandmother's room. There she was, lying motionless on the bed. He'd never seen so many hoses hooked up to a person before. He walked over and put his hand on hers._

"_I love you," he whispered as tears began to roll down his face. "Please don't leave me."_

_He turned to the doctor and nodded. That was the only way he could express his thanks. He made his way out of the room and tried to find the closest exit. He couldn't stay there anymore._

Pulling his arm from over his eyes, Arnold got up from his bed and headed downstairs. Foregoing his car keys, he grabbed his coat from the closet he stepped out from the front door and into the rain for a walk.

The rain couldn't wash away his fear or stress. It was gnawing away at him; constantly reminding him that he was no longer in control of his own life. The rain was relentless, each drop pounding on his head. He wanted to get out of the rain but he didn't want to go home. There was nothing there except a lonely house filled with the reminders that his grandmother will probably die. The thought drove him mad. Crossing 5th, he sprinted up Vine in a mad dash. Almost as if he was trying to outrun the pain. As he approached 4th, something caught his eye; but it was too late. He plowed into someone in his haste. They both went crashing to the pavement.

"Why don't you watch where you're go… Arnold?"

"S…s...sorry," was all he could muster to say. He got up and started sprinting down Vine once more.

It wasn't like Arnold not to help someone up or ask if they were okay. But she saw something in his eyes that worried her. Helga knew the look on Arnold's face all too well. It was a mixture of shame, grief, stress, pain, angst, fear and anxiety. She didn't know what was going on but she knew something was terribly wrong. As if out of instinct she hopped to her feet and started changing him.

_"Damn, he's fast,"_ she thought to herself. She was no slouch either. It took another half a block and she almost caught up to him before she saw him stop and walk into an alley. Curiosity peaked and she followed. When she finally caught up to him, she saw him sitting at the entrance of the alley, back against the brick wall, sobbing with his elbows on his knees and his head in his forearms.

"You okay Football Head?"

He immediately stopped sobbing and tried to gain his composure. His head still leaning on his forearms.

"I'm fine," he said in the most neutral tone he could manage.

"You're not fine. You're sitting in an alley crying."

"Just leave me alone."

Helga sat on the ground next to him.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Sitting down, what does it look like?"

"Why?"

"Well, you look like your having a _great_ night. Plus I'm feeling nice today so I figured I'd keep you company."

"I just want to be alone."

"Tough luck, Bucko. Now what's going on?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Why not?"

"I just don't, okay?"

"Crimeny, is this what _you_ have to go through when _you're_ trying help someone?"

The rain still fell and Arnold stayed silent. He didn't really know what he wanted. On one hand he wanted to be alone with his thoughts. On the other, he wanted to spill his guts to someone. He didn't move. He didn't say anything. He just sat there.

"Come on, let's go," she finally said as she stood up.

"Where are you going?"

"Slausen's, you're coming too."

She held out her hand. Arnold looked at it for a second pondering what his next move will be. Slowly he reached for hers, stood up and they walked the half a block to Slausen's. They sat down in one of the booths and the waiter promptly arrived.

"What'll it be guys?"

"I'll have extra large triple chocolate shake. Two cherries, no funny stuff. And don't skip out on the whipped cream."

"You got it ma'am. And for you sir?"

"Better make it two."

The waiter wrote down the order and ran back to the counter.

"So what's your deal?" she asked

"Just life."

"Talk to me."

Arnold signed, not knowing where to begin. After a minute or two of gathering his thoughts, he began.

"My grandmother was rushed to the hospital yesterday. She had a severe stroke. They don't know if she'll make it. I saw her yesterday and I'd never seen anything like it. She was hooked up to God knows how many tubes and a wires and computers. My grandfather's with her in the hospital but he can barely think straight because of the stress. He won't talk to anyone."

Helga exhaled in disbelief. She loved his grandmother. Over the years, Arnold and Helga had become very good friends. His grandmother always believed her to be Eleanor Roosevelt, which never bothered her. She actually saw it as rather humorous. She had almost seen the boarding as a second family; sometimes even a first when things got really bad at home. And there was more than one occasion that she had to stay over Arnold's house when Phoebe was away and they always made her feel welcome. They all understood the stress her family put her through.

"It gets better. You know what today is, right?"

"Yeah, October 5th."

"Yep. The day my parents disappeared. My life's gone to hell in a hand basket," he finished as the tears began to fall down his face.

"Is there anything I can do?"

"You're already doing it. Thanks Helga," he said with a strained half smile

The shakes came up and when they say extra large, they weren't kidding. Two cherries, extra whipped cream and a bendy straw for each of them. They finished the shakes, paid their bill and stepped outside. The rain never let up.

"So where do you want to head to know?" she asked.

Arnold just shrugged his shoulders.

"Alright, come on."

"Where now?"

"Don't know yet. We'll figure it out," she smiled.

The two walked down the wet sidewalk with no apparent direction. Then Arnold did something that surprised Helga. With one smooth motion and not out a word out of him, he reached out and grasped Helga's hand. She looked at him, and he smiled back at her for the first time this evening. It was a relief for Helga to see him smile; she thought it looked good on him. She didn't say a word either, but she enjoyed the moment. Although he didn't know it yet, she needed him as much as he needed her. She smiled to herself and began to blush a little. Thank God it was dark. She wouldn't want him seeing her blush; especially when he was the one to cause it.

They meandered their way to the entrance of the city park and walked through, still hand in hand. They were the only ones there. For them that was a good thing. They didn't want anyone else's company. They just wanted to be alone. They walked over to the bridge and, when they were half way across, they leaned on the railing and looked at the reflection of the clouds in the large pond.

"Thanks for being here," he finally. "I can't thank you enough actually. You've helped a lot."

"Glad to hear it Football Head. With the night I was having I didn't know how much help I could be."

"Oh," he said. "Sorry I kind of dumped this on you. I didn't mean it."

"It wasn't you. It's my family. It went beyond the normal madness tonight."

"Everything okay?"

"Eh, it's whatever."

"What happened?"

"You don't want to hear it."

"Helga. Shut up and tell me," he said as he cracked half a smile.

"Well Bob and Miriam fighting as usual. But it got a little too intense. She forgot the mortgage payment and he blew a gasket saying if she wasn't such a drunk she wouldn't be so worthless. What really got to me was what he said next, that the onlything she ever did right in her life was have Olga. I was at the bottom of the stairs and heard everything."

Helga's eyes started to water as she thought of the events earlier that night. Normally she woulndn't let fights like bother her, but tonight went too far. Seeing this Arnold wrapped his arms around her and held her. She in turn wrapped hers around him and she started to cry.

"Shhhhhh, it's okay," he whispered to her as he gently rubbed her back.

"It's not okay. I feel so worthless."

"You're not worthless."

"My parents don't even know I exist and my whole life is a mess. I just don't feel important to anyone."

"You're important to me."

With that he kissed her on the forehead and hugged her tighter. He didn't want to let her go. She didn't want to leave him. He was her constant. Her beacon of light. She felt safe now in his arms; he gave her the feeling that somehow everything will be okay.

As if out of instinct she gave him a small kiss. She pulled away quickly looked off to the side, almost embarrassed at what she just did. Arnold gently placed his hand on her cheek and slowly guided her eyes to his. He leaned in and kissed her back. I was a slow, soft, loving kiss and she melted into his touch. Their hearts beat rapidly, yet a complete calm fell over them. All the cares of the night faded away and all that was left was them. The city around them could have been burning to the ground and they wouldn't have noticed, much less cared. All that mattered was that they were together in this moment.

They finally broke apart for air but continued to hold each other. No words were needed. They knew how each other felt. Complete elation. This was beyond a mere infatuation that they felt; they were falling for each other. Helga of course had been in love with Arnold since she was three, but never had she felt this feeling of requited love before. She had to, up until now, love him from a distance. But now it was different. Now, for the first time in her life, she felt loved. Truly loved.

"We should probably get you home," he said without breaking his embrace. "You're wet and cold and I don't want you getting sick."

"I'm not going home. Not tonight. I don't want to leave you. Not with everything that's been going on."

"Don't worry, I'll be okay."

"But I won't."

Arnold understood. He knows he may be dense sometimes but he understood her loud and clear.

"Ya know, I don't think I'll be either now that I think about it," he smiled. "Come on, let's go."

"Where?"

"To dry off and warm up."

He gave her quick kiss and they headed toward the exit of the park. Each with an arm wrapped around the others waist. The walk back was fairly quiet, but certainly not in an awkward way. The rain had slowed down a bit but there was still a light shower. The clouds were slowly breaking apart in the distance and they could see the rays of the hidden full moon hitting the horizon. They arrived at the boarding house about twenty minutes later and walked inside.

"I'll get you some clothes to change into."

"Thanks."

Arnold ran down to the laundry room, changed his clothes and then grabbed a towel, a pair of shorts and a t-shirt for her.

"Here ya go. I'll meet you upstairs in a few minutes."

"Thanks," she smiled as she took the clothes and walked upstairs to the bathroom.

As she left, Arnold went to the cabinet and grabbed a pair of mugs and then went to the pantry for some hot chocolate. His grandmother made her own hot chocolate mix which just happened to be exceptional. After filling the two mugs he went upstairs and headed to his room. Helga beat him there just by a minute or two and she was sitting on his bed.

"What do you have there?"

"Hot chocolate. I figure it'll warm us up a bit," he replied as he dropped a small object into each mug and sat down next to her.

"What was that you put in there?"

"Just try it," he said as he walked over to the bed and sat next to her.

With that, she took a small sip. She was surprised at the taste.

"Wow that's really good."

"I know. I put a peppermint candy in each. Can't argue with a peppermint hot chocolate on a cold rainy day."

"Who taught you that little trick?"

"Grandma," he said as the smile ran away from his face.

Helga reached over and kissed him on the cheek.

"What was that for?"

Helga shrugged.

"You look like you needed it," she smiled as she took another sip.

"I guess I did. Thanks again for everything. You have no idea how much you helped."

"Glad to hear it Football Head."

The two finally finished their hot chocolate and Arnold took the mugs and put them on the table across the room.'

"What about you? Are you feeling better?" he asked as he walked back to the bed.

"Yeah, but I'm still cold," she replied as she stood up and hugged Arnold.

Arnold smiled as he returned the hug.

"I'll keep you warm, don't worry."

Helga blushed and Arnold leaned in for a quick kiss.

"It's getting late. I think we should head to bed," he said.

"I think you're right."

Arnold then picked her up and tossed in to the bed. Helga squealed and then started laughing just before she grabbed his shirt and pulled him into bed with her.

The two laughed at each other as they settled into bed. Helga reached over for the blanket and Arnold helped spread it over them. They laid on their sides facing each other; Arnold wrapping his arm around her waist and bringing her toward him and Helga cuddling up close to him.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too. I always have."

They gave each other another long, soft kiss and they closed their eyes.

The rain continued to fall. They didn't mind much. It brought them closer together. With each raindrop on the skylight with each bolt of lightning and each crack of thunder they held on to each other tighter. They finally fell asleep and dreamed of a better tomorrow, for their families and for them.

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><p><strong>I'd like to quote the movie<strong> **Despicable Me**** when I say "It's so fluffy I'm gonna die." What can I say, I enjoy the fluff. Anyway please tell me how I did and if you guys like it, I'm sure I'll have other to send in.**** Thanks in advance!**

**-Rookie21**


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